Here’s when Pikitup expects Johannesburg’s refuse collection backlog to be cleared
· Citizen
It will take up to a week for Pikitup to address the refuse collection backlogs in the areas most severely affected.
However, Pikitup state the success of its recovery plan is dependent on there being no further disruptions or security threats.
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Bins were being collected under Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) supervision as of Thursday to protect staff from protesting contract workers.
The entity stated employees were being intimidated and threatened along their routes, with waste collection trucks being stoned in some areas.
In one incident in the Soweto suburb of Chiawelo, a truck was overrun by protestors who dumped the collected waste through the suburbs streets.
Pikitup backlogs to be cleared
Pikitup confirmed all 12 of its depots would be working through the backlog over weekend, including the Monday public holiday.
The entity believes this will enable it to have the backlog cleared by Tuesday, 11 August at all but one of its depots.
The Avalon depot had the longest down time of any of the sites, with Pikitup stating areas serviced by that depot should have their backlogs addressed by Friday, 14 August.
“The Marlboro, Randburg, Waterval, Avalon and Roodepoort depots, which have been among the most severely affected by the casual worker strike, will prioritise the clearance of outstanding waste collection backlogs throughout the long weekend.
“Law enforcement agencies that have been escorting Pikitup trucks in certain areas will continue to provide security support to ensure the safety of employees and the protection of Pikitup vehicles and equipment, enabling essential waste collection services to continue,” the entity confirmed on Friday.
Contract worker impasse
The delays have been caused by contract workers demanding to be absorbed into Pikitup as premament employees.
Rise Mzansi mayoral candidate Lukhona Mnguni stated on Thursday that negotiations between officials and protesters had not yet yielded significant results.
“There is no solution on the table, but some progress was made. The workers asked for a written proposal that spells out the path towards their absorption.
“The city is proposing a staged absorption over months. The impasse is on the process of recruitment, where the city wants to advertise the jobs to the broader public and the workers want these to be advertised in such a way that the casual workers compete among themselves,” Mnguni explained.